White Horse
by angel of moozik
Summary: Perhaps it's time for Pansy to stop believing in fairytales. Pansy/Krum oneshot.


**This is just a little something I thought of while I was listening to the song 'White Horse' by Taylor Swift (I love it and I won't be judged!). There's not really anything else to say about it, so enjoy and please review if you like it!

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Like nearly all pureblood children, Pansy is looked after by a nanny. Her name is Miss Arnold and she's been Pansy's nanny for nearly seven years, ever since she was first brought home from St. Mungo's. Pansy likes Miss Arnold a lot, possibly more than she likes her own parents, who she hardly ever sees. She's young and pretty, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes; she dresses Pansy in her favourite clothes and combs her hair gently; she's kind in lessons, even when Pansy gets the 'i before e' rule wrong _again_, and she does fun little spells to make her laugh, like making flowers grow out of the end of her wand.

What Pansy likes best about Miss Arnold though, is the stories she reads every night before bed. She has an old book that she keeps shrunken in her pocket, and every night she takes it out and reads to Pansy about princes, princesses and wicked witches. The muggle characters always beat the witches in the end, which Pansy doesn't understand, but she still likes listening to Miss Arnold reading them. She always whispers for some reason, sitting really close to Pansy so she doesn't have to raise her voice to speaking level to be heard, but she still does brilliant voices. She doesn't even use magic to do it, but somehow she makes the princesses have beautiful, soft voices, while the princes sound brave and strong and the wicked witches are scratchy and harsh. Pansy used to be scared of the witches and their voices when she was younger, but now she just laughs; she knows that the prince will always save the princess and the witch won't win.

As she reads, Miss Arnold lets Pansy look at the pictures. Pansy likes the princesses best; they're so beautiful and delicate-looking, and they wear pretty dresses and crowns. Miss Arnold looks like some of the princesses, especially Cinderella, but she always laughs when Pansy tells her so. She says that surely _Pansy _is the one who's more like a princess, with her lovely hair and fancy dresses, which makes Pansy smile and ask if that means she'll fall in love with a handsome prince with a white horse one day. Miss Arnold always says of course she will, one day, as Pansy yawns and falls asleep, dreaming of when that will happen.

...

One day, when Pansy is about nine, she wakes up to find her mother sitting on the end of her bed, instead of Miss Arnold waiting at her dressing table, comb in hand. Pansy's mother explains to her that one of the house elves told her and her father about the bedtime stories, and it turns out that Miss Arnold is a half-blood. Pansy's parents didn't know that, and they want a pureblood nanny for Pansy because they want the best for her. Miss Arnold has gone to look after another little girl now.

Pansy starts to cry. She doesn't want Miss Arnold to look after another little girl; Miss Arnold is _hers. _She hopes her father didn't shout at her; he does that a lot and it's very scary when he does. Her mother tells her not to be so silly and to occupy herself for the day until her new nanny arrives tomorrow. The new nanny will be a pureblood, her mother says, and won't tell any of those silly stories about muggles outsmarting witches and wizards. She tells Pansy to forget about them, that they are just proof that muggles don't understand magic and that they aren't true. Pansy nods, but doesn't mean it, and soon as her mother leaves, she spends the day drawing pictures of princes and princesses.

...

Pansy's new governess is called Miss Willetts. She's the exact opposite of Miss Arnold; she's old, with grey hair which she pulls back from her face very tightly, she never smiles, she tells Pansy off when she can't remember that i comes before e and worst of all, she doesn't like to tell bedtime stories, not even anything out of Pansy's The Tales of Beedle the Bard book. She likes to test Pansy on her times tables before bed instead. She's not very nice about Miss Arnold either and always says mean things about muggles and half-bloods. Pansy knows that as a pureblood she's above them, but she liked Miss Arnold and doesn't want to hear bad things about her. She dares to tell Miss Willetts so once, and it earns her a lecture on how awful muggles and half-bloods are and a spanking. She never disagrees with her again, and just listens to her being mean to her Miss Arnold instead of arguing. Sometimes, even though she doesn't like it, Pansy understands that Miss Willetts has a point. People who can't do magic can't be as important as the people who can, like her.

Pansy still likes the stories Miss Arnold used to tell her, even if they were written by muggles, and when Miss Willetts goes to bed (she never stays with Pansy until she falls asleep like Miss Arnold did), Pansy hides under the covers and tells the stories to herself in a whisper. She still knows them off by heart, and she can still see the pictures in her mind, with the beautiful princesses and the princes. Most nights now, she dreams of times tables or whatever else Miss Willetts has drilled into her that day, but she still dreams about her finding her prince sometimes. Those are her favourite dreams.

...

Miss Willetts takes Pansy to King's Cross; her parents were too busy. They sit on the platform and Miss Willetts tells Pansy how to act like a 'proper little pureblood lady' and not a 'common muggleborn' for what feels like the hundredth time. It seems to simply involve being polite and ladylike, and Pansy knows all about that already. All she has to do is pretend to be one of those princesses from the story, all gentle and charming, and she's been playing at that since she was little.

When the train arrives, Pansy is more excited than nervous; she can't wait to leave Miss Willetts and her lectures behind. She's allowed to go, after her hair has been brushed, her skirt straightened out and her shoelaces retied. Hardly any of the other children are being fussed over so much, and she feels rather babyish and practically runs away when Miss Willetts is finished making her look presentable, although she doesn't quite run; princesses wouldn't behave like that.

She walks up and down the carriages on the train, looking for a compartment with some children her own age. She bumps into a bushy-haired girl who seems to be doing the same thing. The girl seems to recognise her, and starts chattering away immediately.

"Hello! I'm Hermione Granger. I saw you out on the platform with your mum! It made me laugh; she's a fussy one isn't she?"

Pansy blushes scarlet. Why did Miss Willetts have to make such a big show of it? She knows a princess, or a nice little pureblood lady would just laugh it off, but all she can think about is defending herself.

"Actually, that was my nanny, and thanks to her fussing, at least _I _look presentable," she sneers.

Hermione's mouth snaps shut and she pushes past her to go further down the train.

"Well said," a drawling voice said from the compartment nearest to her. "That muggle girl looks a right state."

Pansy peeks round the door and sees three boys. The one who seems to have just spoken to her was sitting in the middle, leaning back casually with his feet on the seat opposite. He reminds Pansy of someone, with his blonde hair, grey eyes, pointed jaw and perfect pale skin, but she can't work out who.

"Well, it wasn't very ladylike," she replies with a smirk, "but I think it needed to be said."

The boy nods and smiles at her.

"Are you going to come in then?" he asks, taking his feet off the seat so she can sit down. "I assume you're a pureblood?"

She nods and sits opposite them.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson," she says, offering her hand to the boy.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he says, taking it, "and these two are Crabbe and Goyle."

A Malfoy! Pansy's parents and Miss Willetts talk about the Malfoys all the time; they're one of the richest pureblood families in the country, practically royalty. She suddenly realises who he looks like too: one of the princes in Miss Arnold's book, the one from Sleeping Beauty. Remembering what Miss Arnold used to say to her every night before bed, she gives him a dazzling smile.

"Charmed."

Maybe Draco Malfoy would turn out to be her prince.

...

She's very nervous at the Sorting ceremony, as she watches Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy all go into Slytherin. Miss Willetts had told her that it was tradition in her family to go into Slytherin, although as long as she didn't end up in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, where most of the muggles and muggle-lovers went, she and her parents would be proud of her. She quite likes the idea of Ravenclaw. Reading and learning have always been interesting to her, even with Miss Willetts. She has the feeling she's too lazy though, and she desperately wants to be in Slytherin with Draco so she can spend lots of time with him.

Her name is called and she walks to the front and puts the hat on, feeling a little silly.

_Please please please put me in Slytherin_

"Well," says the hat. "I'm not sure whether you have the right reasons for wanting to go into Slytherin."

Pansy closes her eyes and tries to think of everything Miss Willetts ever told her about muggles and half-bloods, even the things she disagrees with. She knows that's what Slytherins think.

"Don't try and lie to me; I know you don't believe in some of those ideas." the hat tells her. "Still, it's a good start..."

"SLYTHERIN!"

...

When Draco is hurt by a hippogriff in Care of Magical Creatures, Pansy decides to be the one who looks after him. She's been one of his best friends for over two years now, and she thinks that if she's ever going to marry him, she needs to start edging into girlfriend territory. How better to do that than by caring for him when he's injured? The days of her reading fairy tales are long gone, but she knows a princess would be kind and caring to her prince.

For a week, she changes his bandages, cleans out his wounds just like Madam Pomfrey showed her, helps him eat, takes his notes in class for him (the hand he writes with is fine, but anything to help), listens to him complain about 'that bloody stupid half-breed oaf' over and over again. She writes to Miss Willetts to let her know how things are going and receives encouragement telling her she's doing an excellent job and that Draco will surely want her to be his wife someday. She finds it hard to believe that she ever disliked the woman. Ever since she's been in school, her old nanny has become almost like a friend to her in her quest to make Draco like her. Helping her charge ensnare a respectable pureblood husband is very important to her.

When Draco's better, he thanks her and heads off to go and hang out with Crabbe and Goyle, who she'd been keeping away from him all week by threatening them with stinging hexes if they bother Draco while he's recovering . It's not quite the declaration of love she'd been hoping for, but she knows he'll remember it, and it's a good start.

Even though she's only started on her plan now, she's been imagining how life will be when she's married to Draco ever since first year when he first referred to her as his friend. The trouble is, the books end before that part of the story, so she doesn't really know how it'll be. It will probably involve a big house though, she thinks, and lots of servants. And of course, he will be loving and devoted and protective, just like a prince. He doesn't know about any of her plans though. Millicent's the only person she's ever told about it, and she's been sworn to secrecy.

...

"So, Pans, I hear you fancy me," Draco laughs one day.

Pansy suddenly sits bolt upright on the sofa she'd just been lounging on. They'd been having a perfectly normal conversation about the Yule Ball and how she's one of the only girls in the school who isn't chasing after Viktor Krum. She doesn't really see what the big deal is. Yes, he's famous, but he's also rather unattractive with it, all dark, scrawny and awkward, with a huge nose. She feels rather indifferent to him, but she always bitches about him and makes out that she actively dislikes him to Draco; his crowd of admirers has diminished dramatically since the international Quidditch player arrived, and his ego has been slightly bruised. She and Miss Willetts see it as a perfect way to get Draco to fancy her, by showing that she's only interested in him.

"Don't look so shocked," he grins. "I'm not going to mind, am I? I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the ball with me?"

She grins, probably rather unattractively. It's one of those grins that Miss Willetts always tells her to hide, where her nose sticks up and spreads out across her face, and she shows too much of her teeth like 'one of those common muggle whores,' but she doesn't care, and obviously Draco won't either, seeing as he likes her in that way now.

...

Pansy sits on a staircase in the east wing of the castle, crying. She doesn't understand how her night could have gone so horribly wrong. It had started out fine; she'd spent hours and hours doing her hair and makeup and Miss Willetts had sent her a beautiful set of dress robes which suited her perfectly. Millicent had said they perhaps looked a little too old for her, but Draco hadn't seemed to mind. In fact, he'd said she looked beautiful, and when he'd put his arm through hers she'd nearly cried from happiness and the excitement of it all. He'd looked like the perfect prince in his embroidered robes and his hair slicked back and she'd felt like a princess. If there had been any time for him to see that they were the perfect couple, that had been it.

They'd gone down to the hall together and danced for a bit. He was a very good dancer and he'd held her gently yet firmly as he'd led her around the floor. One of the Hufflepuffs who'd been pestering her to go to the ball with him tried to cut in (he obviously hadn't been dissuaded by Pansy's laughter and remarks that he looked like the back end of a blast-ended skrewt), Draco had wrapped a strong, protective arm around her and guided her away. It had felt like pure bliss, just being held in his arms.

It had been when they stopped dancing that everything went wrong though. He'd offered to go and get her a drink while she sat and rested her feet. When he hadn't come back after about twenty minutes, she'd gone looking for him. She'd found him quickly enough, kissing one of the Beauxbatons girls. Before he'd been able to see her, she'd ran as far away from him as she could until she reached the staircase she was sitting on now.

How could he do this to her? Had she been a bad dancer? Had she done something that Miss Willetts had told her not to? She wipes her eyes with her cloak; her handkerchief is wet through with her tears and her robes are starting to be covered in little wet spots.

She suddenly realises she's sitting in a shadow and looks up to see the concerned face of Viktor Krum.

"Are you alright?" he asks in his heavy accent, so different to Draco's refined tones.

"What do you want?" she snaps. There's no point acting like a lady now Draco obviously doesn't want her.

"I haff come out here to find Herm-own-ninny," he says, ignoring her tone. "Her orange-haired friend made her cry."

"She'll be on the other side of the castle where the Gryffindor dorms are. You won't be able to get in," she says shortly.

She can't believe Krum asked Hermione Granger to the ball. She'd looked quite nice tonight (as nice as one of her kind could, anyway; the muggleborns always look so _plain_), but how could he have asked her out before he even knew she scrubbed up quite well? Out of all the girls around, he'd chosen _her?_

He looks like he's about to leave her alone again, which is what she wants, but then he looks at her closely and decides to sit down next to her.

"Vell, maybe I vill look after this sad girl instead," he says.

"Can't you just go away and leave me alone? I'm not sad," she says coldly.

"You are crying," he points out. "And I think I know why. Is it to do with the blonde boy?"

She nods, fresh tears previously forgotten in her annoyance threatening to spill out of her eyes.

"If it makes you happier, I saw Camille slap him in the face ven he tried to kiss her."

She knows something so silly shouldn't make her feel better, but the thought of Draco's face, confused and not smirking for once makes her laugh. She sniffs and makes a disgusting sound from all the snot from the crying. Even though she's horrified (Miss Willetts would be shocked!), he doesn't seem to mind and gives her his handkerchief, insisting it's clean.

When she's feeling better, he offers to walk her back to the ball. She tells him she'd rather just go to bed; Merlin knows who Draco would be trying to paw now, but she doesn't want to see it. Taking his arm, she lets him walk her back to the dorms. They walk in silence. He's a very quiet person, very unlike Draco, who has been trained to know what to say in every possible situation. She's thankful for that now though; she's never felt less like talking.

When they reach the entrance to the common room he tells her to take care of herself. She knows that the correct, ladylike response to that is to thank him. Instead though, for reasons she's not quite sure of, she chooses to stand on tiptoes and press a quick kiss to his lips. He kisses her back, although it's only a small one.

"Forgive me if I am too forward, but I vould like to write to you ven I am back in Bulgaria, and maybe you could come and visit me next summer," he says, looking at the floor.

Pansy stares at him. It _is _very forward. Writing to him can't hurt though, and he's been very nice to her and she does quite like him. He might not be a prince, but look what had happened with the person she thought _was! _She nods and waits for him to leave before saying the password to get into the common room.

As soon as she enters, Draco jumps up from the sofa.

"Where have you been?" he asks her angrily. "I was made to look like a fool out there."

"Really?" she replies with the tone she usually uses on everyone except him. "I think _I _was the one made to look like a fool when you went around kissing other girls!"

His face crumples and he sinks back onto the sofa. In between bouts of tears, he apologises over and over, and he looks so sincere, so broken without her, so honest that she agrees to forgive him and go to Hogsmeade with him next weekend and goes to her room to write to Viktor and tell him that she thinks they should just be friends.

...

It's just another night of patrolling with Draco, looking out for any kids who are out of bed, or anyone who's trying to get in Umbridge's way.

"So, yeah, I'm sorry," he finishes.

Pansy hasn't been listening. She knows the speech off by heart now; she gets it every time he goes off with another girl. Which girl it was this time, she doesn't know. She's stopped caring now. If she looks up now, she knows she'll see him looking at her with those sad eyes filling up with the tears he can turn on so well, and taking her silence as her still being angry. Before the next part of the speech can come, she looks at him.

"Yes, I _know _there's no girl for you but me," she says sharply, cutting him off before he can even start to say it.

Normally she's more patient with him, but she's in a bad mood tonight anyway, just from essays and being tired. She knows that she should do what Miss Willetts tells her to do every time he apologises: act like she doesn't mind what he's done and give the impression that it doesn't matter if he does it again because she'll still be there. Miss Willetts is very unsympathetic about Draco's cheating. She says that it's probably a phase he'll grow out of, but a lot of pureblood wizards don't and their wives just have to turn a blind eye to it and forgive them when they confess. Viktor says that's stupid and he doesn't understand why she likes Draco so much. Pansy's inclined to agree that yes, it _is _stupid, but she still wants to marry Draco, and if that's what she has to do to make it happen then she'll do it. She doesn't remember anything about princes cheating on their princesses in the stories though.

...

He's taking her to the Room of Requirement, and she knows what that means. It's the only reason anyone goes there, except for Potter and his stupid little club. She doesn't know if she's ready for this or not, and she doesn't feel she can write to Miss Willetts or Viktor for advice about it, but Draco's been so distracted recently, and she's worried he might dump her for the next girl he cheats on her with or something. If she doesn't do this, it might be the last straw and she'll be ditched for Lavender Brown or someone similar, who has no qualms about just jumping into bed with someone. Besides, she read in one of Millicent's magazines that this was something people in love did, and she's in love and wants to show it. She's not sure if Draco's in love with her; he's never said it anyway, but maybe after this he will, once he's seen how much she loves him.

It hurts quite a bit, and she feels awkward because she has no idea what to do so she just lies there, feeling useless and slightly embarrassed that Draco can see so much of her. She just can't wait to be over. Draco takes quite a while though, which worries her slightly, as Millicent's magazine had told her that that often didn't happen the boy's first time. Draco couldn't have done this with anyone else though. He's _hers_. He has to be, especially after this.

...

She finds out why Draco's been acting so distracted just a few days later. He's a Death Eater and he's been given an important job by the Dark Lord. Pansy feels very proud of her boyfriend and tells him so. He doesn't seem to think it's such an honour, but she's happy for him nevertheless.

It gets her thinking though. If Draco's a Death Eater, perhaps she should join too to support him. She wouldn't just be joining blindly though; she does agree with some of their ideas. Miss Willetts, although not a Death Eater herself, has shown Pansy how muggleborns and muggles are beneath her, and Pansy is starting to agree with her now. Miss Arnold wasn't that great really; _she _wouldn't understand the need for her to marry Draco like Miss Willetts does. How would she, with her parentage? Her father is a Death Eater too, although he isn't in the inner circle like Draco and his father are. She wishes she could write to them to ask what they think. It's a big step, after all. Her father hasn't spoken to her properly in years though, and Miss Willetts has been rather distant since Pansy told her about what had happened in the Room of Requirement. Apparently, respectable young pureblood women didn't do that, even if they were in love, and Pansy had actually damaged her relationship more by losing any sense of mystery about her.

Instead, she decides to write to Viktor. She tells him almost everything now and she's due to visit him in a few weeks. She receives a reply very quickly, begging her not to do it and asking her to come and see him sooner, enclosing a portkey with the letter.

...

The night of Dumbledore's death, Pansy runs up to her dorm and grabs the portkey. All the charms on the castle have been broken and if she makes it out into the grounds she should be able to get away. It's dangerous to get out there, but she can't stay. How could she ever have thought of joining the death eaters? They're in the Great Hall battling _children. _Even muggleborn children don't deserve to be killed! Looking down on them is one thing but killing them because of who their parents are is quite another. Her Slytherin robes help her as she runs into the grounds; the aurors don't want to hurt students and the death eaters don't want to kill people who might join them one day. She still has to cast a few shield charms though as some spells barely miss her, coming so close that she can feel the heat from them.

Once she's away from the crowds, she activates the portkey and is transported right into what she assumes is Viktor's living room. He runs over to her and she hugs him, feeling safe in her friend's arms.

...

Viktor refuses to let her leave Bulgaria while the war is on. While it's not completely safe in his country, it's nowhere near as dangerous as England is. He tells her he's not even going to go to Fleur's wedding so he can stay and look after her. He says that when the war is over, he'll come and stay with her in England for a bit, and he can visit Fleur and Bill then. She insists that he go, but he refuses, saying he could never forgive himself if anything happens to her while he's gone, that he cares about her too much.

He says several things like that to her. He constantly checks on her too, which she finds sweet, but also kind of annoying. She snaps at him for it at first, telling him that she can take care of herself, but the hurt look on his face every time she does reminds her that he's only doing it because he cares. She especially appreciates it when he comes running when she wakes up screaming from another nightmare about her last night at Hogwarts.

By the time just a week has passed, Pansy is sure that Viktor likes her as more than a friend, even though he's never said it outright. He's very shy after all and despite their easy conversation in letters, conversation in person is a very different matter, especially when he wants to say something personal. She's flattered by his attention, and even thinks she feels something similar towards him; she feels so safe and comfortable with him and she loves his company, She squashes down anything like that though; she still has Draco. An hour every day is spent writing to him and Millicent, although most of the time is spent on him. He never replies, apart from one he sent to let her know he's ok, but Pansy's sure he's very busy and perhaps some of the letters don't even make it to him given the circumstances.

Aside from that hour spent writing, the rest of Pansy's time in the day is spent with Viktor. He's talked to her more and more as the days have gone on and he watches her less like a Death Eater's going to appear and take her away at any moment. Pansy likes relaxed Krum a lot more than intense Krum and tells him so. He laughs and says that's his dark, broody look that the female quidditch fans love and that he's sorry she can't fully appreciate it. She laughs with him. She never would have thought that Viktor had it in him to make jokes. He's always seemed very serious before and she enjoys seeing new sides of him appear as he becomes more comfortable around her.

In the evenings, they sit on the sofa with a butterbeer each and listen to the wireless. Pansy has an awful singing voice, but she knows she can guarantee on it to make him laugh on the days when he's heard bad news and is more worried about her than usual. She likes to hear him laugh, she likes to see him happy. He looks completely different when he does too, more conventionally handsome, although she doesn't know why she ever thought he was unattractive. These thoughts make her feel guilty though because of Draco and she often disappears into her shell after them, often leaving Viktor feeling worried and confused, which she hates.

One day, about a month into her stay with Viktor, Pansy receives three letters. She always gets letters from Millicent, but she's surprised by the other two; the handwriting on one seems to be Draco's, and the other one seems to be from Miss Willetts. She decides to read Millicent's first and save Draco's until last.

_Dear Pansy, _

_You need to hear the news; it's been huge in all the pureblood circles. Unfortunately I don't mean that is in "You _have _to hear this gossip," more like "I'm sorry, but it's important you know." Astoria Greengrass is pregnant, and Draco's the father. She's quite far gone; she's been using a glamour to hide it this whole time, but Tracey saw her early in the morning without it and she's getting very big. Draco's being made to either pay for the potion or marry her. I don't think he knows what he's going to do yet, but if he chooses to get her the potion and come back to him, you will forgive him won't you? It just seems such a waste if you don't._

_Miss Willetts sent you a letter at Hogwarts, so I've forwarded it with this one. I think it's advice on what to do about this whole situation. I'm sure it'll be very helpful. She always is._

_Thinking of you_

_Millie_

Pansy doesn't know why she feels so surprised. She _knew _she wasn't Draco's first! He must've been taking Astoria (and Merlin knows who else!) to the Room of Requirement before he took her, his _girlfriend_. Wiping away the tears that are threatening to come at any moment, Pansy moves on to Miss Willetts' letter.

_Pansy,_

_I suppose you've heard the news. This is what happens when pureblood girls do things they shouldn't before they're married! I hope you realise how lucky you are!_

_If Draco chooses the potion, you should return to England immediately to show that you don't care about Draco's infidelity and that you are ready to marry him now. Any delay will show that you doubt him, and you can't be seen to not have faith in him, especially not after all your hard work in ensnaring him. I will make all the arrangements if this is the case._

_Remember, no tears. You are a respectable pureblood lady and you will accept this without any fuss and move on if you don't want to be gossiped about._

_Regards_

_Miss Willetts_

With a scream, Pansy throws Draco's letter onto the fire without even opening it. It's either a rejection or the same speech she's heard a thousand times before. What does it matter what he chooses? She doesn't care if he chooses her or Astoria because she never, ever wants to see him again. Even if he has chosen her, she doesn't want him anymore. She can't take all this again. How can she be expected to act like nothing's happened over and over and just let him walk all over her? It's not typical of men, like she keeps being told; Viktor would never act like this. This idea of a 'respectable pureblood woman' that Miss Willetts keeps talking about is dated and wrong! And if she wants to cry about this, then she will!

"Are you ok, Pansy?" Krum asks, having run into the room to check on her like he always does.

Pansy shoves the two remaining letters behind her without turning round to face him. She can't believe she ever tried to get rid of any feelings she had for him. Viktor is nice. Viktor cares about her. She should never have believed Draco's apology was sincere after the Yule Ball. She should never have told Viktor she just wanted to be friends.

"Vell," he says, "you know vot I vould say about this, but vot are you planning to do?"

"I'm not going back there, ever. I don't care about that stupid childhood idea I had about marrying my prince charming. I don't want to be a respectable pureblood lady anymore, I don't want to marry a rich pureblood and I certainly don't want Draco Malfoy!"

He smiles, and she knows he's proud of her for making the right decision.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do though," she says, sniffing. "I don't have anything left. Millie won't understand, my parents will disown me and Miss Willetts won't ever talk to me again, not that that's a bad thing."

"Forgive me if I'm being too forward again," Viktor blurts out, "but you can stay here in Bulgaria if you vant. You still haff me. I mean, ve can see ver things go."

"You _are_ being a bit forward again," she laughs, despite her tears, "but I've been holding back all this time. Your idea sounds good to me."

As he holds her in his arms and rocks her back and forth, she smiles. She already knows where she wants things to go, and she's sure he does too. She hasn't found a prince like she'd always thought she would, but instead she'sfound something better: Viktor.


End file.
